


Good Night, Sweet Prince

by Ataraxxi



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Cuddles, Gen, M/M, all it takes is a little coercion from sleep incarnate, but i intended it as romantic, can be seen as platonic or romantic, silly hypnos, zagnos stans for life, zagreus finally takes a fuckin nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:39:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27737002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ataraxxi/pseuds/Ataraxxi
Summary: Hypnos didn’t need to watch Zagreus to know that he rarely ever slept. That didn’t mean he didn’t watch Zagreus anyway.
Relationships: Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 235





	Good Night, Sweet Prince

Hypnos didn’t need to watch Zagreus to know that he rarely ever slept. That didn’t mean he didn’t watch Zagreus anyway. 

As Sleep Incarnate, it was his business to know everything there was to know about sleep, including how much a person got of it. Including how much the gods got of it. As gods, of course, they didn’t really need sleep- that was a need relegated only to mortals- but sleep was a luxury, and one Hypnos loved to indulge in whenever he could, even going so far as to sneak naps in between work here and there (perhaps more than he ought to have). 

So he could tell when Zagreus hadn’t slept for a while. Gods were tireless, so perhaps it was that little bit of mortal in his heritage that made the wear and tear of long days without rest show in him regardless, though not nearly as much or as quickly as it would on a full blooded human. Perhaps, also, dying again and again could run anyone ragged. Hypnos didn’t know anyone that died as much as Zagreus did. He’d practically turned it into an art. 

So it was when Zagreus dragged himself, dripping, out of the river of Styx for the hundredth time since the last he’d slept that Hypnos decided he ought to do something. Not just as Sleep, but as Zagreus’ friend. 

—

Floating half out into Zagreus’s path, Hypnos stretched out in mid-air, catching the prince’s attention with a drawn-out yawn. “Ran into trouble with… a tiny vermin?” He checked the list, then looked incredulously up at Zagreus. “Must have been one vicious little rat!” 

“Yes,” Zagreus said, looking about as confused as Hypnos. “It was honestly kind of terrifying. So tiny, yet so full of rage…” He frowned, then shook his head. “Anyway, I’m off to try again, I suppose.” 

“Ah- ah- ah-,” Hypnos caught him by the arm (feel that bicep, no wonder he was so good with a sword-) to stop him. “When was the last time you laid down? Had a nap? You look awful tired.” 

“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t really feel like resting though-“ 

“Are you sure about that?” Hypnos asked, looking deep into Zagreus’s dual-colored eyes and giving a little nudge with his mind. 

“I’m pretty su-“ Zagreus’s response was cut off as he cracked his mouth open in a wide yawn, which he hid behind one hand. “Oh, now Hypnos, that isn’t fair-“ 

“You need some rest, prince,” Hypnos said, slinging an arm around Zagreus’s shoulder. “You look totally beat, even after regenerating. Just one little nap. For old time’s sake?” He pleaded with Zagreus, giving him wide golden-saucer puppy eyes. 

Rubbing at his eye, Zagreus gave a pause for thought. “Alright, just a little nap. An hour. _Maybe_ two. But that’s it. I don’t like sitting still for too long…”

“Great!” Hypnos cheered, clasping his hands together. “This will be so fun. I’ll come up with the _best_ dreams for you I promise.” Sliding his hand down to Zagreus’s wrist, he began to pull him through the halls of the house toward Zagreus’s room. 

—

“You know, I’ve never been in your room before,” Hypnos mused, looking around at all the knick-knacks and decorations the prince had collected over the centuries. “Where’d you get that poster of Dionysus? He looks pretty cool there! His hair is so _shiny…_ ” 

“House contractor,” Zagreus replied, hiding another yawn behind his hand. “You know, you really didn’t need to follow me in here. I’m sure you can help me sleep from your post in the hall.”

“And give up a chance to nap _with_ you? That’s crazy talk!” Hypnos plopped down on Zagreus’s bed and patted the space beside him, grinning. 

Zagreus’s eyes went wide and he blinked. “Oh. Well. I suppose if you want to,” he said, giving a shrug of his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

Shimmying over to give Zagreus more room, he propped up some pillows against the headrest and leaned back into them, crossing one leg over the other. Zagreus slid in beside him, and before he could fully settle down, Hypnos wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in close, so that his head rested on Hypnos’s shoulder. Hypnos wrapped the edge of his blanket-cape around Zagreus and began to card his long, thin fingers through Zagreus’s hair. 

“Snuggle in, prince. One eight hour nap coming right up!” Hypnos said cheerfully. 

“Wait- I said just two-“ 

Before Zagreus could finish his sentence, he was out.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little blurb of Hypnos finally getting the ever restless Zagreus to rest for once in his goddamn life. Might make a Zagnos series of this. Feel free to drop prompts in the comments if you have something specific you wanna see. I’m open to ideas!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on twitter at @AtaraxxiArt if you like the content I post! I also do art there sometimes, and would love to hear from you there too.


End file.
